1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to sports equipment, and more particularly to apparatus for ice fishing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the sport of ice fishing, the fisherman often attaches his line to a tipup of various kinds. Because of the outdoor conditions normally encountered, ice fishermen frequently leave their lines for short times while they warm up in a nearby vehicle, cottage, or shanty. To alert the temporarily absent fisherman of a fish strike on his line, the tipup usually includes a flag or similar component. When a fish hits the line, the flag is tripped from a lowered set position to a raised position, thus signalling the strike. Examples of such tipups may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,196,570; 3,213,561; 3,807,078; 4,021,958; 4,285,154; and 4,565,024.
To provide alerts for night fishing, some tipups are modified to include an electric circuit that includes a lamp. A suitable mechanism operates to close the circuit when a fish strikes the line, thus illuminating the lamp. Such equipment is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,170,000; 2,785,493; 2,834,140; 3,078,610; 3,378,945; 4,272,297; and 4,633,608. Electrically operated sound devices, such as are included in the tipups shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,633,608 and 4,246,716, eliminate the requirement that a fisherman constantly look at his tipup to known when a strike has occurred.
The tipup of U.S. Pat. No. 2,170,000 combines a radio transmitter and receiver with a light and a bell. In the tipups of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,359,673 and 4,246,716, a magnetic reed switch is employed to close an electric circuit to actuate visual and audible signals. U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,255 describes a fish detecting system that utilizes a magnetic reed switch and a radio transmitter upon a fish strike.
While the aforementioned fishing devices have generally enjoyed commercial acceptance, they nevertheless possess several disadvantages. For example, in order for flag or light alerts to function successfully, the fisherman must almost constantly keep his tipup in his line of sight. In addition, the sounds from buzzers and bells often do not carry inside a vehicle or shanty.
A major drawback of the magnetic reed switch designs of the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,359,673 and 4,246,716, as well as of the radio alert of the U.S. Pat. No. 2,170,000, is that those devices are custom designed for the particular tipups with which they are used. Alternatively, special tipups are required to suit the particular alert devices, which limits the versatility and usefulness of the alerts. The foregoing tipup and alert device combinations are therefore undesirably expensive.
Thus, a need exists for an improved ice fishing strike alert.